1) One of our members kindly scanned through parts of FortisBC’s application for “smart” gas meters and found that the one they are planning to use is the Sonix IQ made by Sensus. FortisBC’s first option is to use one that, like the electric smeter, communicates two-ways (AMI) and will emit a constant stream of RF, even though they, like BC Hydro, say the transmitter will send signals for only a short period of time. That is for data. Much more information is needed about this meter and I will share it as it is found. The member sent some other relevant info he found in the portion of the application he read and I will include it below the Letters.
(click on photos to enlarge)
Does this statement from the Sensus website mean that the gas smeters will communicate with the electric smeters, using the network that already exists? Or does it mean it will communicate with the 5G network that is being built?
“Supports third party radios for easy integration with existing networks”
https://sensus.com/products/sonix-iq/
2) In the USA, as well as in Canada, the telecoms, such as Telus, have decided to eliminate landline phones, true landline phones that connect via copper wire and do not die when the electricity is off. This explains the game that is going on very well, and we need to demand it not be played here in BC or in Canada. Basic, reliable phone service is required. If people want to use wireless instead, despite the risk to their health and security, that is their choice. But for those of us who do not use or do not want to ever depend on a cell phone — don’t we count?
Please read this, see what Telus is doing, then read a couple of letters that have already been sent to the Minister of Safety and the CCTS (Commission for Complaints for Telecoms and Television Service.) Then, please, consider writing your own letter. And perhaps cc your MP [https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/search], your MLA [https://www.leg.bc.ca/learn-about-us/members] and your local newspaper [https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/contacts-media/].
U.S. Telecom Shell Game: Increasing Rates for ‘advanced voice-data-video networks’, Forcing Customers onto Unreliable Wireless
“Common Wisdom says no one is using landlines anymore and when I searched for “Verizon New York landlines”, on the main Verizon website, I was surprised that it did not take me to the page for the existing “POTS”, “Plain Old Telephone Service” based on the aging copper wires. Instead, it took me to a page to get Fios “Landline home phone” and to up-sell me on other, more expensive plans. There were also links to Verizon Wireless Home Phone — even though the page heading says “Landline Home Phone”.
The page continues to explain that the Fios service, which uses a fiber optic wire, is using VoIP for its phone landline service, sometimes referred to as “Digital Voice”. Notice that “some individuals refer to residential VoIP services as a landline phone when referring to home phone”.
https://www.activistpost.com/2021/07/u-s-telecom-shell-game-increasing-rates-for-advanced-voice-data-video-networks-forcing-customers-onto-unreliable-wireless.html
Letters:
Statement a member put on form at the CCTS site: https://www.ccts-cprst.ca/
“I attended a high-end security conference where the speaker reminded us that our landlines were critical in the event of any possible bombings… because all cell phones are shut off… case in point – Boston Marathon….
I live in a Port City… where shootings are increasing exponentially… fall-out from Vancouver….
We must maintain telephone landlines….”
_________________________________________________________________________
Letter to Minister of Safety:
https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/bt/cntct-frm-en.aspx or Bill.Blair@parl.gc.ca
Dear Minister of Public Safety, Mr. Blair,
The telecom industry is racing to outdo each other, without any foresight, nor vigilance, while profit forgoes public safety.
As a certified EMF Consultant, I am deeply appalled that no thought is given to reliable telephone service, during lengthy periods of power outages, as is increasingly becoming the norm, during this time of climate change and extreme weather conditions and global disasters.
Cordless DECT phones and cell phones, which are biological nightmares in themselves, offer only limited battery usage, and once depleted, no emergency call can be made. On the other hand, traditional hardwired landline telephones will still work flawlessly during times of disaster, as no batteries are required, even for repeated and extended phone calls, during long power outages which can last for days or perhaps weeks.
In light of the telecoms move towards dubious 5G wireless communications, which will soon include microwave transmitters in front of people’s homes, and perhaps installed right on top of homes, as was recently approved in the US, without neighbours’ consent, none of this technology will work once batteries have failed, leaving people vulnerable and unable to call the police, ambulance, or even a helpful neighbour. This can prove to be a nightmare scenario for the elderly and those who are unwell who rely on the help of others.
The telecom industry has made our society vulnerably reliant on wireless technologies, which will work under normal conditions, but in times of disaster, all communication stops, as even cell towers rely on limited auxiliary power, but when an emergency situation arises that last several days, all telecommunication comes to a complete halt and, as a consequence, lives will be lost. There are many cases where cell towers did not just run out of emergency power, but many collapsed during severe storms, or went up in flames like enormous torches, posing a severe threat to homes and people nearby.
Therefore, to uphold the highest levels of public safety, people must be allowed to retain their highly reliable, hardwired landlines. Leaving this decision to the telecom industry will surely invite disaster.
Safety is never considered of great relevance until disaster strikes.
I would appreciate your response,
Kind regards,
Marcus Schluschen (name given with permission)
__________________________________________________________________________
Excerpts from the FortisBC application:
https://www.bcuc.com/Documents/Proceedings/2021/DOC_62642_B-1-FEI-CPCN-AMI-Project-Application.pdf
Health
23 Concerns regarding the new network generally pertained to perceived health effects related to
24 radiofrequencies (RF), and concerns about how the Project could exacerbate perceived pre
25 existing sensitivity to wireless technology (Section 5.8.1).
26 FEI’s responses generally included discussions regarding:
27 Emissions from the proposed technology would fall well below Health Canada’s Safety
28 Code 6 standards for RF fields. More details are provided in Section 5.8.1;
29 FEI would be proactively offering a radio-off option; and
30 That the new meters only send information over the wireless network at intervals and for
31 generally less than a few seconds a day (Section 5.8.1).
16 Customer Rates
17 A small number of public inquiries raised concerns regarding the Project’s costs and the
18 potential to impact customer rates. FEI responded to explain why it was pursuing the Project,
19 including customer benefits such as the ability to access daily gas usage information and safety
20 features that include remote leak detection and shut-off capabilities. These benefits are detailed
21 further in Section 4 of the Application. It should be noted that during early stages of consultation,
22 the Project cost had not yet been determined.
10 Overview of AMR Alternative
11 AMR is a system in which customer meter reads are retrieved using an automatic means most
12 commonly by driving by with a vehicle, although it can also entail fly-by with an airplane or in
13 some cases walk-by with a handheld device. AMR is a one-way communication technology,
14 where communication modules retrofitted to the meter are used to transmit readings using radio
15 signals to a vehicular-based mobile meter reading base station. A meter reader drives the
16 vehicle carrying the mobile base station along a predetermined route through a section of the
17 service territory and meter reads are transmitted remotely from the meter communication
18 modules to the base station. The meter reader then returns to a utility facility in order to connect
19 the mobile base station to the utility network where the meter reads are downloaded for use by
20 the billing system.
21 For the AMR alternative, FEI investigated a drive-by solution in which a single meter read would
22 be collected from each meter once per billing cycle on a monthly basis. Each work day, meter
23 readers would drive through parts of the service territory along routes designed to read every
24 meter each billing cycle. At the end of each day, the vehicular-based mobile meter reading
25 base station would be connected to FEI’s network and the customer readings would be
26 transmitted to FEI’s billing systems as described above. Finally, this approach to meter reading
27 is assumed to be in place for over 20 years, which is the expected service life of AMR
28 technology based largely upon the capacity of the battery within the communication module
29 attached to each meter.
23 FEI Will Address or Respond to Outstanding Issues or Concerns
24 FEI has responded to all concerns raised and sought to address them where possible. FEI’s
25 responses generally received either a positive reply or an acknowledgement for the information
26 FEI provided (see Appendix H-2 for a log of interactions). FEI acknowledges that there are
27 some members of the community that remain opposed to the Project due largely to perceived
28 health issues associated with the new meters’ RF and the increased use of wireless technology
29 in general. One of the key ways FEI has sought to address RF-related concerns is by
30 communicating that customers can select a radio-off option from the outset of the Project.
(Radio-Off Advanced Meter Option)
New section reflecting the terms and conditions for customers who choose the Radio-off AMI Meter Option. More specifically, the section will outline the process for enrollment for customers who wish to have an advanced meter installed but with the internal communicating radio turned off for a fee. This section will also reference the applicable “Radio-off Option Standard Charges” set out in the Standard Charges Schedule.
Sonix IQ Gas Meter
The Sonix IQ gas meter is a residential gas meter that operates using ultrasonic sound to measure gas flow and has an integrated communication system, an enclosed battery, and an automatic shutoff option. These meters generally will be mounted outside residences or other buildings and will run on the FlexNet version 2 protocol. Similar to the other End Points, the Sonix IQ gas meter will communicate bidirectionally, directly with a base station, on a pre-defined schedule.
Sharon Noble, Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” Elon Musk